Cars form part of family for about half of drivers, report

In a survey by Confused. com, about half of the respondents described their cars as "part of the family" while about a third said that share their personal problems with their vehicles.

The survey also found that about a quarter of the motorists give a name to their cars, with mot common names for cars being Charlie and Ruby. Other popular names include Jack, Harry, Noah and Oliver as well as Lily, Pippa, Jessica and Grace.

About 16 per cent of men said they perceive their cars as women and described its personality as sexy and mischievous. The company surveyed a total of

Confused. com car insurance head Gareth Kloet said: "Nearly 20% of motorists who name their cars believe it encourages them to be more careful on the roads. We have nicknames for our friends, partners and even pets so why not our cars?"